Advice desperately needed !

[Myrubbishpony]

well my new pony isn't exactly as advertised .... "Easy to catch" .... We keep him at our own place - he's a 12hh Welsh 12 years old gelding . The trouble is that he is really hard to catch and I just want to be able to walk up to him on the paddock and attach his lead rope ... I can very easily get him to come in by leaving the gate open so he brings himself in and eats his treats then I can attach his lead rope and all is ok - the only problem is that he comes in at speed (he's greedy) and he is frightening the children - the method we are currently trying is to deprive him of much grazing and the not letting him come in on his own and whenever I approach on the paddock if he walks away I just leave him out - put his sweets that were waiting for him on the yard away and leavie him to think for a few hours - will this work ? I've read so many stories of people having a total nightmare catching their ponies ! Advice appreciated !

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

How long have you had him? They can be quite testing at the start.

 

[Trewsers]

Are you riding him the moment he comes in? He may just be associating being caught with work and be feeling a bit cheesed off about it. I would try bringing him in and just grooming him and letting him rest a while and then turning him back out until he realises it isn't all about work the moment he comes in. Take a while but it can work doing it that way. Also if you've not had him long there will be bonding / trust issues. He's maybe thinking why should he come in to you? If he doesn't know you that well yet. Does he have friends in the field he is leaving behind? He would perhaps rather be with them - until he gets to know you all.

 

[Myrubbishpony]

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How long have you had him? They can be quite testing at the start.

ve had

Are you riding him the moment he comes in? He may just be associating being caught with work and be feeling a bit cheesed off about it. I would try bringing him in and just grooming him and letting him rest a while and then turning him back out until he realises it isn't all about work the moment he comes in. Take a while but it can work doing it that way. Also if you've not had him long there will be bonding / trust issues. He's maybe thinking why should he come in to you? If he doesn't know you that well yet. Does he have friends in the field he is leaving behind? He would perhaps rather be with them - until he gets

How long have you had him? They can be quite testing at the start.

weve

How long have you had him? They can be quite testing at the start.

We've had him for 4 weeks

 

[Myrubbishpony]

We've had him for 4 weeks so I guess still early days - we've not ridden him yet so he's only come in for grooming or fuss or sweets so far . I think the mistake I've made may have been to feed him in the field at the start which with hindsight was foolish . He had been turned out for at least 6 months at his previous home . He's on his own in the paddock at mine - I suppose I'm just disappointed that he's not the gentle loving child's pony that I was lead to believe but I'm prepared to try to train him - just want to know if you think what I'm trying may work ?

 

[carthorse]

Welshies can take a while to get to know you & be very wary until then. Try just spending time in his field, not even trying to catch him just being there. If he comes over give him a fuss & scratch, but don't attempt to catch or treat him. And make sure you walk away from him to finish it, not the other way around. There''s often nothing like not being interested to make you interesting!

 

[domane]

Can you make a small pen in his field with electric tape - about the size of a stable - and feed him in that first. Then it will hopefully he easier to catch him.

Have a bum bag with treats and work on putting his headcollar on, treating, then taking it straight off and treating. Then turn away and walk around the pen with your back to him. Then repeat the whole exercise..perhaps adding a nice scritch on his withers the next time before you take the headcollar off again. Keep repeating and then turn him back out so that he only associates "catching" with nice things for now. Befriend him first and get his trust and build from there.

 

[Mary Poppins]

I don't think that there are any quick fixes for ponies that are difficult to catch. Mine is impossible for most people to get near, and while he lets me catch him 95% of the time, that 5% when he runs away is so frustrating.

There are many different approaches from chasing him around and not letting him stand still until he lets you attach the leadrope, to sitting and waiting it out in the field. In my experience it is always better to wait for him to come to you and wait until he has made the decision to come in. To do that, you have to make coming in an attractive prospect for him. He sounds like a very food orientated pony, so you could use this to your advantage. Don't treat him AT ALL, unless it is directly after you have caught him. When you have caught him, bring him in and give him a little feed. Make him learn the association between being caught and getting a treat.

It will take time and lots of patience, but it's worth putting in the effort at this stage and hopefully you will find a nice pony underneath.

I am a little concerned you have bought him as a childs pony and he has been turned away for 6 months previously. Why was this?

 

[Myrubbishpony]

Well I didn't know at the time that I bought him that he had been turned out - I take all the blame I just didn't ask the right questions at the time . When he is attached to the lead rein he is absolutely bombproof - he just has a taste for freedom ! Thank you so much for all the replies - really helpful and I will let you know how I progress !!

 

[Myrubbishpony]

I meant to add - the woman who previously had him had bought him for her son who just got bored of him that's why he just got left in the field from last November til four weeks ago when muggins here bought him

 

[Jessey]

Horses are herd animals, without a herd they can become very different and nervous, they need company, first priority for me would be getting him a friend

 

[eml]

We have a herd of about 25 ponies.in our RS. Whe we get a new one we select one or two 'friends' and turn them out in a small paddock wih the new pony wearing field safe headcollar ( use a hoover band as a cheap connection!!) Once they get on well we return them all to the main herd but keep on headcollar until we are sure we can catch he new pony wih a rope from the herd,We do have he odd one that after a year still needs to be left until last!

 

[tikkitti]

I agree with @eml Robinsons equestrian have fieldsafe turnout headcollars on offer ATM, we use one on our welsh A as she's very sweet but does like summer grazing a little too much, yet if it's raining she waits at the gate, lol. Not loading or not catching must be two of the most frustrating things, but once you find a workable solution for the problem you will be on top of the world. x

 

[squidsin]

My old mare was a nightmare to catch - she did get used to me after a couple of months and start coming over, but I was always the only person on the yard who could catch her. She wouldn't let the YO anywhere near. Put a leather/fieldsafe headcollar on him, and don't always bring him in to ride. Just catch him and pet him/give him a treat and let him go sometimes. But really it's just a question of perseverance and getting to know each other.

 

[Trewsers]

Horses are herd animals, without a herd they can become very different and nervous, they need company, first priority for me would be getting him a friend

Yes, my thoughts too, they need their pals.

 

[joellie]

He is just getting to know you. You need to give him time to trust you. Spend sometime in the field with him just making a fuss. Also you will need a companion for him as he will feel very insecure on his own. P.S Please reconsider changing your name, myrubbishpony isn't a very nice name especially as your pony will probably be a fantastic pony when he has settled in

 

[joellie]

Took me 6 months before I got anywhere with my pony. Takes time. Xx

12 months in with mine and I was torturing myself if he was the right one for me and I was considering selling him as he was a real bolshy brat at times, now I would never consider selling him. We both trust each other and I love him to bits even though he can still be a brat sometimes lol

 

[Myrubbishpony]

Wow what a great forum this is - so nice to have other people to chat to!
Currently he will come to the gate (when he sees he's going to be fed) and let me attach lead rope and walk in and eat - then I tend to take him back out and do a little bit of groundwork with him then leave him be . So that's a massive improvement already
He still moves away from me if I enter the paddock even if I just ignore him and I'm poo picking so I think it's till a bit of a love / tolerate relationship !
Still ... Onwards and upwards ...

 

[Gimp]

My mare does this if I work her more then 3 days in a row, its like on the 4th she goes... NOPE not on your Nelly! and I have to bribe her to come in! They will always test you in their little ways! Thats a brilliant improvement and a great way to go forwards just making catching a positive experience. Little and often can work wonders

 

[newforest]

I meant to add - the woman who previously had him had bought him for her son who just got bored of him that's why he just got left in the field from last November til four weeks ago when muggins here bought him

Probably because he isn't easy to catch.
If he hasn't done a thing for six months being caught will mean "work"
I am surprised the seller didn't say sold from the field, thats what you have.

You have actually rewarded his behaviour for walking off, by "leaving him out"
It's taken me four hours to catch someone else's pony. After that they had no issues because it broke the learned behaviour that I would give up.

You could just make a decision to catch him, take your sandwiches and a drink and catch then let go.